Style and Parenting / December 28, 2023

Outfit Of The Week 12/24/23 – 12/30/23

This week’s edition of “OOTW” is a two-parter! Aren’t you lucky?! Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get any staged, full-body shots of these outfits. The past few days have been very busy, as I am sure they have been for all of you, too!

The reason why I have decided to highlight two different outfits this week was due to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

I wanted to dress up a little each day, but I also wanted to be festive and comfortable. Let’s tackle Christmas Eve first…

The centerpiece of this outfit was the wool, black watch trousers from J. Peterman.

The legs are a little trimmer than some of my other pants, but when I had them tailored I had some cuffs added to the hem, which adds a little weight and ensures the fabric doesn’t get stuck on my calves. These are my “holiday” pants and I am happy I was able to get a chance to wear them.

Up top, I wore a light blue, oxford-cloth button-down shirt from Lands’ End. My tie was a black, silk knit from Charles Tyrwhitt. I never quite realized just how versatile a black, knit tie was until I picked this one up some years ago. I initially thought it was a bit of a sartorial mutt. The tie is black, which would usually indicate a higher level of formality, but it is knitted and has a square tip, which makes it more casual.

Instead of being difficult to style due to these seemingly contradicting features, I find it works in almost any instance. I can wear it with a suit and it looks great because it’s a silk, black tie. But I can also wear it casually because it’s knitted and has a square tip. I love it.

My sweater was a blue-and-white, Supima cotton, shawl-collar cardigan from Brooks Brothers. This sweater is identical to the cream, shawl cardigan I highlighted last week, with the only exceptions being the color and the buttons (this one has mother-of-pearl buttons).

For my footwear, I actually stuck with my Ugg slippers. I was inside for the vast majority of the day and had no use for actual shoes.

After a nice, family dinner, my wife and I put the kids to bed and watched It’s A Wonderful Life. I know it’s a cliché, but I think many people lose sight of the fact that it’s actually a really excellent movie! Jimmy Stewart gives one of his best performances, Donna Reed plays one of the best fictional wives of all time, and Lionel Barrymore is legendarily villainous.

After the movie, we placed all the gifts under the tree and went to bed.

Predictably, the children woke up way too early on Christmas morning. I spent the first half of the day in my pajamas and then changed into something a bit more respectable, per my last article. Then my mother, sister, and brother-in-law came over to our house for some Christmas cheer.

The centerpiece of my Christmas Day attire was my green tie with an English bulldog motif.

As I stated on Thanksgiving, our beloved dog died in October. I wore my blue bulldog tie on Thanksgiving and I wanted to wear my green bulldog tie on Christmas to honor her. This was the first Christmas without her and it was very sad. I think I will continue the tradition of wearing bulldog ties on Thanksgiving and Christmas in years to come.

My shirt was a yellow tattersall from Charles Tyrwhitt. This shirt is a little thicker than a regular shirt, which I like, but I don’t like how CT doesn’t usually put pockets on their “formal” shirts.

My sweater was my burgundy, cashmere v-neck from Lands’ End. I liked how I was able to get some red and green into my Christmas outfit, with the combination of the sweater and tie. Unfortunately, I was getting a little warm sitting by the fire, so I should have followed my own advice from earlier in the season and worn a cardigan so I could easily shed the layer if I needed to.

My trousers were my grey, wool/poly flannels from The Territory Ahead.

I’ve written about these many times before. They are an excellent selection for looking “dressed up” while still being fairly hard-wearing. I can play with the kids or get a fire going in the firepit without worrying about damaging them.

Again, my shoes were my Ugg slippers.

My watch selection on Christmas Day was my 45mm Bulova on a burgundy, leather strap, as opposed to Christmas Eve which featured my 38mm Timex field watch on a steel bracelet.

Towards the end of the night on Christmas, I unbuttoned my collar and loosened my tie. My wife had made a stellar dinner and I was relaxing in my leather chair by the fire while drinking some strong eggnog.